Chase Elliott is the new NASCAR Cup Series championship point leader, and Bubba Wallace holds down the final spot on the provisional playoff grid with a handful of regular-season races ahead.
Elliott overtook Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron after Sunday’s race at Dover Motor Speedway. He led 238 laps and finished sixth while Byron was involved in a late caution and finished 31st. Byron had led the points for 17 of 21 races.
The regular season champion will be awarded 15 playoff points when the grid is reseeded for the postseason. Elliott stands to gain the most from picking up those points as he currently sits with six playoff points in his bucket.
There are six drivers in the championship standings who are within 100 points of each other. Elliott leads a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2-3 in the standings, followed by three Toyota drivers from Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing.
1. Chase Elliott
2. William Byron – 16
3. Kyle Larson – 38
4. Denny Hamlin – 39
5. Tyler Reddick – 62
6. Christopher Bell – 67
There have been 12 different winners thus far in the regular season. It leaves four spots to be decided over the next five weeks. The highest driver on the provisional playoff grid is Tyler Reddick, who has a 156-point advantage. And the driver on the bubble is Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate, Wallace.